Fiery Thunder
by Smile-ingMoon
Summary: The Bladebreakers are enjoying their lives now that the world tournament is over and nothing else is proving to be a threat to the world.  But as their life of ease continues, old friends and foes a-like appear with hidden deceptions. Ray x Kai
1. Prey

**Disclaimer - I do not own the characters of this fanfiction, they are all the rightful property of Takao Aoki.**

The sun was shining over the city, the breezes were gently tugging the clothing of its inhabitants. Every corner of the city was illuminated by the sunlight as it was reflected from countless beyblades. Dozens of beybladers had taken to the streets to train, to practice, to trade, and to hopefully one day become the world champion. The few who weren't training were the Bladebreakers - the last world beyblade tournament was behind them once again as was the BEGA tournament, it was their time to relax or so it should've been. In the backyard of the Granger Dojo, Daichi and Tyson were attacking one another in a feat of beyblades while the remaining members of their illustrious team were resting in the backyard.

The fight had started, with a challenge from Daichi who wanted to beat the world beyblade champion and thus become a champion himself. This was very typical, ever since the end of the championships Tyson would be occasionally challenged by the local beybladers, with the most consistent one being Daichi. The stout red headed beyblader faced on his taller blue haired teammate, watching their beyblades and their bit-beast counterparts attack each other with increasing velocity and power. It was a usual scene, enough so that the other Bladebreakers were doing their own tasks.

Kenny, the brains of the group was off to the side, sitting in the shade of the dojo, with Hilary looking into his computer while his bit-beast Dizzi was replaying the footage from the last championship and encoded all of the details, as well stats of each combatant and beyblade into its memory. Max worked on his beyblade alone near the edge of the patio, weighing it each time as he changed the shield rings – to ensure maximum defense but not to inhibit its speed greatly. Hiro was sitting with his and Tyson's grandfather, Ryu overlooking the two beyblades battle it out. Ray and Kai were sitting by tree, both no longer aware of the eternal battle that consistently happened. The stoic beyblader was atop one of the braches looking upward into the skies while the neko-jin Bladebreaker was sitting against tree, looking up towards the sunlight passing through the leaves of the tree.

"Hey Kai,"

"What is it?" Shifting his vision, he stared down at his teammate. Ray didn't notice though because the sun was behind Kai's face. All he could see was the proud beyblader's silhouette, while Kai could see every detail of Ray's face, from the symbol of yin and yang that he wore everyday to the bright depths of his gold cat like eyes.

"I don't know. The last tournament is over and BEGA is now gone," replied the quiet wielder of Dranzer.

"Will you be going back to the Blitzkrieg Boys now that our job here is done?"

"Are you thinking about going back to the White Tigers?" replied the older youth without answering the nekojin's question. In truth he had thought about it, he had thought about going back to his new team in a new attempt to become the new world champion whenever the next world tournament came.

"I won't be going back, I miss the White Tigers but I know I belong here with the Bladebreakers." Unaware that Kai could see his face, he smiled openly into the air. "I'm happier with you, Tyson, and Max, just like how it was when we first met. I'm happy with the others too but the four of us, went through things together that the others can't understand."

"What would happen if any of the four of us left?" The question hung in the air, Ray's smile faltered but it didn't disappear. Looking downwards, away from Kai's eyes, he answered,

"I would be sad for a while, but that's life – besides the four of us have been reunited many times in the past, it is likely that the four of us will remain in contact wherever we go. If you do go back to the Blitzkrieg Boys, send me a card. I'll come visit you."

Jumping down from the tree, Kai landed in front of Ray and stared him down, his blue-grey eyes staring into the younger bladers feline pupils. "I didn't say I was leaving anytime soon, you're not getting rid of me that easily." Saying that he walked away, headed for the inside of the Granger residence with his scarf flowing behind him.

"I'm glad to hear that," replied Ray to Kai's retreating figure, unaware of the small smile that spread on Kai's face when he heard that.

Clang!

That was the sound of Strato-Dragoon being knocked out of the battle stadium again by Tyson's Dragoon. What should've ended the conflict, became a bigger conflict as Daichi challenged Tyson another time.

"Kai! Ray! It's your week to make dinner, go to the grocers to get what you need! Max, Kenny and I will be going to the park to test out Max's new beyblade," shouted Hilary, with Max and Kenny heading towards the sidewalk.

Kai and Ray looked at each other, both unsure of what to make for the night but in actuality were very relieved to leave the Granger Dojo at the moment. Ever since Daichi and Tyson had restarted their match, everyone else was hoping to get away from their constant cries for their bit-beasts. However the only ones who could escape were the five of them, Hiro and Ryu had to remain in case any of the beyblades destroyed their property. Kai and Ray initially had nowhere to go and were ready to slip out when no one noticed but since Hilary mentioned it, they might as well go get the grocery for tonight's dinner while sparing their ears. The champions and their friends went their separate way, while neither Tyson nor Daichi noticed.

* * *

><p>The pair walked in silence, while other beybladers revered them from a far. No one dared to challenge Ray or Kai, the blue haired teen was known for being relentless as well as swift when administering defeat, while the black haired teen was too well liked by everyone in the neighbourhood. They continued to walk down the stone paved path, both enjoying the temporary silence that was created after leaving the dojo.<p>

"Kai, what are you going to make tonight?"

"I don't know. What are you planning?"

"I don't know either, do you have any suggestion?"

"It doesn't matter what we make, as long as it's edible. Only we will notice the taste anyways."

Ray laughed out loud his pony tail swinging with mirth. It was more or less true, out of all of the Bladebreakers, only Kai and Ray had the most experienced palette, both having paid attention to what they ate at every place they had gone to. Daichi and Tyson were okay with eating anything – they never really noticed the hard work that went into their food, unless it had to do with how fast it came out of the kitchen. Max and Hilary were more partial to North American food, Kenny to noodles, and both Hiro and Ryu were much like Tyson but with more dignity.

"Then which of my dishes do you like the most?" asked black haired teen, since it was clear that the out of all of them only Kai would be the one really tasting his food.

"Whichever one is easier for you to make, how about you? What would you like to eat?" Kai attempted to appear nonchalant, but deep down he did want to know what Ray liked most from his cooking.

"I'll make stir fried rice with deep fried crab dumplings, I noticed you tend to go for seconds whenever I make either of those two dishes. I prefer your raw seafood dishes especially sushi."

Kai was shocked that that Ray with his cooking experience enjoyed some of his dishes and was as equally shocked that Ray had noticed his desire for the fore mentioned dishes. He hadn't been aware that his companion had read him so in depth. Lost in their thoughts the two of them continued to walk towards the grocers.

The two of them didn't notice the shadow behind the light post detach itself and follow after them.

* * *

><p>"Hey guys, did you hear that?" asked Hilary in a slightly panicky voice.<p>

"Hear what?" asked the two that she was with.

The three of them had arrived in the park shortly after saying good bye to Ray and Kai. It wasn't that far off from the dojo, if one were to step on to the slide or climb up one of the taller trees, they could easily see the backyard of the Granger residence. Max was running maneuvers with Draciel while Kenny and Dizzi carefully analyzed the speed and rotation of Max's bit-beast infused beyblade. Hilary had been sitting on the swings watching the two from afar when she heard something.

"I heard a voice, saying 'Max'."

"It's probably one of the other beybladers who wanted to talk to Max," replied Kenny without looking away from his screen.

"Haven't you both noticed that we're the only three still in the park? The other beybladers left a long time ago, there's not even a bird here, no chirping or any natural sounds." She was right - the park was devoid of anything moving save the three of them. Even in the bright sunlight, there was something eerie going on in the park. There was no voice though, the three still agreed to leave as quickly as possible.

Departing the park, they didn't realize the five figures that followed after them.

**Author's comment: Please review as you like if you have any constructive criticisms.**


	2. Attacks in the Dark

**Disclaimer - I do not own the characters of this fanfiction, they are all the rightful property of Takao Aoki.**

Ray and Kai had finished shopping for their groceries, they had purchased enough to feed all nine members of their extended family. Walking down the same path they had used to get there, the pair walked steadily towards their home, each hand carrying a bag of groceries. The two walked in complete silence, there had been an awkward moment in the grocer's – one of the cashiers had addressed them as though they were a couple, the two of them were now suffering the consequences, both unsure of what to say to each other. They travelled down their given path, wondering what they could say without offending the other, not noticing their surroundings. It was different from before, the same sidewalk that they walked on was devoid of anyone. The beybladers who had watched them in awe were gone, although the day was still very pleasant with the sun was still up in the sky. The flashes and cheers that were normally associated with beyblades were missing, there were no echoes of joy or friendly competition from anywhere. The journey for the two of them felt longer with each step, they had still yet noticed that they were the only ones on the street. Distracted with their inner thoughts about what to say to one another, the two were not aware of the figures that were behind them. Wrapped in shadows, they made no sound as they followed the two Bladebreakers. One of them raised their arms revealing a gun-like launcher with a purple beyblade attached. Pulling the launch cord, the mysterious figure launched his beyblade at the back of Ray.

Hearing the sound of a beyblade being launched accompanied by the sounds of blades spinning headed directly for them, Ray turned around only for the beyblade to hit him directly in the chest. He could feel the beyblade dig into his skin just above his heart, it was reminiscent of his battle with Bryan. Shocking by the sudden impact, he fell backwards only to be caught by Kai who noticed his descent. Supported by Kai's arm, he steadied his breathing looking for the beyblader who attacked him from behind. With Ray weighing down Kai, a second beyblade was launched bouncing off of the nearby light pole with a loud clang, alerting both Bladebreakers. Their hands tied with grocery bags, they both could only watch helplessly as the beyblade headed towards the fallen Ray. Seconds before impact, the slate blue haired captain threw himself between Ray and the beyblade, resulting in the projectile hitting him in the back. Unlike Ray, Kai was prepared thereby keeping his footing and not falling on top of his companion. The beyblade had dug into his upper back, above his left lung but the pain was different, it was like a blade of ice had entered his body freezing everything in its path. Ray angered by the attack on Kai, leapt to his feet and stood in between Kai and the attackers. His golden eyes narrow, his tiger teeth appearing over the edge of his lower lip with his body crouched down, he ready to attack whatever came their way. What he saw before them was an empty sidewalk, there was no one there and there was no hint that someone had been there. Unwilling to let his guard down, Ray threw Kai over his back and sprinted away, looking for a place for his grey eyed captain.

* * *

><p>The trio had returned to the Granger residence, their experience in the park already forgotten. The three of them had made their way home without any abnormality, no whispering voices, or detached calls. They had passed by dozens of beybladers on their way back, each one asking for autographs from them – for them the incident in the park was an isolated event that probably occurred occasionally. Surrounded by people who wanted their name written on their beyblades, they weren't aware of the figures that followed them. These figures no longer hid in the shadows but they did instead stray away from the group of fans, to avoid suspicion and notice. When they had arrived within vicinity of the dojo, the mysterious figures shrunk away back in the shadows.<p>

"Hey Tyson! Daichi! We're home!" shouted Hilary, the three of them walked through the door.

"Welcome back," greeted Hiro from the patio in the backyard.

"Are they still beyblading?" asked Kenny.

"Yes they are," replied Tyson's older brother wearily, "It's another rematch, the two of them have been at this since the morning. Are Kai and Ray back yet?"

"No they split away from us," replied Hilary.

"I hope they get home soon, they may be the only solution to break up their battle. Grandpa and I tried but we gave up."

"What's wrong with grandpa?" gesturing to the figure who sat next to Hiro, who didn't greet them.

"He fell asleep."

* * *

><p>"Ray, let me down."<p>

"But Kai –"

"Let me down." He didn't raise his voice but he sounded more forceful, Ray knew better than to disobey this command.

Ray crouched down and let Kai get off of his back. Feeling the weight shift, the black haired beyblader turned around to address his stoic friend. He hadn't been ready for Kai to grab his shirt front and look for where he was injured. Ray looked down too and was shocked to see that the front of his qipao was undamaged, but the pain he had felt was real enough. The pain had ebbed away when he was carrying Kai, he hadn't been aware of anything but to protect his teammate from harm. When the two had arrived to where they were now, a block away from the Granger dojo, the pain was gone completely. But that was the least of his worries, Kai was moving his hands over Ray's chest in search of the injury, applying pressure in certain areas hoping a response.

"Kai, what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to feel if you have any injuries." Ray blushed a light pink, unable to stop Kai's ministrations – eventually he gave up after finding no tangible wounds on the nekojin.

"What about your back?"

"I don't feel anything." He turned around revealing his back to the dark haired beyblader, not expecting that he would do the same thing to his back that he had done to his companion's chest. As Ray's hands scoured Kai's back in serach for a non-existent wound, the slate blue haired beyblader looked away, hiding his pink tinged face away from Ray. "Are you done yet?"

Hearing that Ray stopped, the two gathered their grocery bags and continued to walk back to the dojo, one eye on their surroundings and the other eye on each other. If either of the two saw a suspicious figure, they would have to counter with Driger and Dranzer. This time they were prepared for anything.

"Ray, is your chest really okay?"

"It is now, before when the beyblade hit me, I could feel the spinning blade cut through my skin towards my heart. It felt like the battle with Bryan again. How about your back?"

"I said I don't feel anything now."

"How about before?"

"I felt a small sting," concluded Kai. He didn't want to worry his companion nor admit the pain the beyblade had caused him. A silence ensued, and continued on until the two of them were back in the Granger residence, by then the memory of their attack had faded by the realization that Daichi and Tyson were still facing one another.

* * *

><p>"Doctor, phase one has been completed, Ray Kon and Kai Hiwatori have been infected." A figure spoke into a cell phone while standing alongside ten other figures. "What are our next orders?"<p>

A voice filtered through the cell phone on speaker, enough so that all the shadow wrapped figures could hear. "You are to infect the Max Tate."

"Will this bring the results we want?" asked a high voice amongst the group.

"Yes, by doing this, we will separate the Bladebreakers once and for all.

"What is in this for you?"

The voice from the cell phone let an annoyed sigh before answering, "I have already explained this, this will be the last time. When our plan succeeds, the Bladebreakers will have been broken up. Kai, Ray, and Max will be yours to recruit for each of your teams. With the Bladebreakers broken up and against one another, we will all have the chance to be world champions. "

"Will these beyblades harm them?"

"No, these beyblades will only drive them apart, it will divide them making it easier for them to join each of you."

"What about Tyson Granger and Daichi Sumeragi?

"Without the help of the others, the two of them will be at each other's throats. They will fall to our might."

"Understood." With this the figure closed the cell phone, and they all scattered.

**Author's Note: Any comments, reviews, or constructive criticism will be appreciated. **


	3. Truth Revealed

**Disclaimer - I do not own the characters of this fanfiction, they are all the rightful property of Takao Aoki.**

"Guys, dinner's served!"

"Dinner? Daichi it's dinner time!"

Clang! Dragoon knocked Strata-Dragoon out of the beyblade stadium immediately and launched itself into Tyson's waiting hand as Tyson made his way to the dining room. Daichi followed quickly, after catching his beyblade in his hands. The two of them had been fighting against one another for the whole day. They had started since the morning and ended now when it was dinner – it was no surprise that the two of them were very hungry. As hunger dictated them, the blue haired world beyblading champion disappeared without any visible hint or sounds and within in the next blink he could be seen taking a seat at the dining room table. Daichi went a slower pace, but not before noticing the ominous shadows that appeared over the edge of the fence that surrounded the dojo. Unfortunately these he dismissed as waning shadows from the setting sun unaware of their actual nature.

When Daichi entered the dining room, what awaited him was a delicate fusion of Chinese and Japanese cuisine. He could see plates of stir fried rice with side dishes of deep fried shrimp dumplings, deep fried squid, and spring rolls sitting alongside an artistic arrangement of sushi, ranging from salmon rolls to octopus sushi to tempura. It was a grand feast, and Daichi's mouth drooled as the lure of the food attacked his sight and sense of smell. Eagerly he threw himself to a chair beside Tyson and got ready to eat. Just as he was about to attack the food with his pair of chopsticks, Hilary slapped his hand away. Glaring at her, he noticed where her point of vision was being directed at, she along with the other members in the dojo were waiting for the two chefs to walk out of the kitchen. Hilary had forced on them that it was poor etiquette to eat without the ones who prepared food, but there were some who didn't abide such as Tyson whose hands she had somehow tied to the feet of his chair. Hilary was known to do scary impossible things at the most unexpected times, and this thought kept Daichi on his best manners as he too waited for Kai and Ray.

* * *

><p>In the kitchen, the two fore mentioned members were discussing their attack earlier today, while preparing desert. Ray was creating a sweetened tofu dish as Kai was making deep fried bananas with chocolate syrup.<p>

"Do you think we should tell the others about what happened to us?" asked Ray, standing next to Kai, now that he was waiting for his desert to cool.

"No I don't think we should worry them, I think we should keep an out for each other. The only one we should tell is Kenny, he might be able to tell us what happened."

"You're right. I've never heard a beyblade that disappears after attacking someone. That beyblade didn't fall when it hit me, it just disappeared. I can still feel it a little, spinning in my chest. It doesn't hurt, but it feels weird," trailed off Ray's voice.

"I do too, but we shouldn't worry the other until we've dealt with the ones who attacked us. No one attacks the Bladebreakers and gets away with it."

The two smiled to each other at the thought of what awaited the ones who had attacked so underhandedly. Their smiles continued as the two of them entered into the dining room and took their seats.

"Let's eat!"

* * *

><p>"What do you think theses beyblades do exactly?" asked Mariah, holding up one of the grey beyblades that had attacked Ray and Kai.<p>

"I think we should trust what the Doctor says," replied Lee.

"But how will these split them up?"

"It just will. That's all we need to know as long as it will bring Ray back to us. Without Ray, we don't have a chance against the Bladebreakers, if Ray returns to us, Kai to the Blitzkrieg Boys, and Max to the All Starz that will only leave Tyson and Daichi for us to deal with."

"But what if this hurts Ray? What if Ray doesn't want to leave the Bladebreakers?"

"Don't be ridiculous Mariah, we're doing this for Ray."

The pink haired beyblader really doubted that. She was very concerned about the Bladebreakers and what the Doctor was doing to her brother and the other beybladers. She wasn't the only one, Emily was just as equally worried. The All Starz, White Tigers, and Blitzkrieg Boys had all been contacted by someone called the Doctor. After the Doctor had a talk with Lee, Tala, and Michael, the three groups worked for here. She tried to convince members that the only way they could ever become champions were to separate the Bladebreakers, turn them against one another and use them to get to the top, and that this was really for _their_ sakes. This thought wasn't accepted by anyone but with their leaders under her thumb, they could only follow. Mariah and Emily kept their thoughts to themselves, they had seen firsthand what happened to the ones who fought against the Doctor directly. The Doctor would badly injure any who opposed her and would almost completely obliterate their beyblade. They both have no idea what the Doctor's hold on them was.

No one really knew who the Doctor was, even when their team leaders had met with her, she had worn a disguise. Even now she kept the air of mystery and never allowed herself to be seen by them, she contacted the three groups using cell phones and would send them grey beyblades and launchers. Mariah was worried, Emily had discovered while analyzing one of the grey beyblades that they weren't real; they weren't made of parts or rings like the normal beyblades. They were solidified bit-beasts that invaded the bodies of their target. Emily believed that these "beyblades" were copies of the real beyblades that housed these bit-beasts, but those were nowhere to be seen. The questions that were posed between the two were 'What are the negative effects of having a bit beast invade your body?', 'How would this affect the bit-beasts within the beyblades?', and most importantly 'How will this cause a break in the Bladebreakers?' Mariah and Emily were fearful of what could happen, what if this was some elaborate plan to control the Bladebreakers? Was the Doctor really that simple-minded to only do this as a diversion to become the world champion? The two of them could only wait to see the results, they didn't want to be the next to be targeted, and if they were then no one would be able to warn the Bladebreakers when they needed it most.

* * *

><p>"Hey do you know what happened to us today in the park?" asked Max, opening the table up for discussion.<p>

"What happened?" At least that's what the other had thought Tyson had said, having lived him for years, they understood him even when his mouth was full.

"The park today was eerily quiet, there was nobody around and Hilary heard voices in the wind."

Hilary, Kenny, and Max sitting together one side of the table, were solemn as were Ray and Kai who sat with them. However Tyson and Daichi burst out laughing

"A quiet park isn't that odd, and those voices might've been echoes from the nearby kids."

Ray opened his mouth to objet and to share his experience but he was silenced by Kai grabbing his arm under the table. Kai's message was clear – it wasn't time to share with the rest of them what happened to them, and the two situations may not be connected. The golden eyes that housed the cat like pupils flashed with annoyance but he knew that Kai was right, even if they told the others what had happened, no one would know what to do. There hadn't been any trace of their attackers and without any concrete proof or evidence, they won't be able to trace back their opponents. For them right now, they were just attacked by faceless enemies, who may come back for them, it was best that the two of them remain on their guard. Ray also knew Kai's secret reason for hiding this away from their family of sorts; Kai didn't want to reveal that both he and Ray had been attacked behind in the back when they were both known for being attentive and ready for any attack.

During their drift into their inner thoughts, the others had all agreed that what happened in the park was probably a rare natural occurrence. Having settled that, they all enjoyed their dinner without any further thoughts about strange incidents.

* * *

><p>At the park where Max, Hilary, and Kenny were training earlier, three beybladers stood facing one another. Each of them was different in shape, size, and stature. The shortest of the three had a mane of black hair, similar eyes to Ray, a flatter nose and wore black garments of Chinese origin. The second tallest wore white clothing that resembled ski clothes with red and blue markings, and a tall collar that covered half of his face, revealing only his eyes and red hair. The tallest of the three had long chestnut hair covered by as baseball cap, wearing a baseball uniform.<p>

"Do you really trust the Doctor?" asked Michael.

"No," answered Lee and Tala.

"But we don't have any other choice, we have to follow his orders," continued Lee.

The three of them could remember when they had first met the Doctor on behalf of their teams. Upon meeting them, she had proposed the very plan that they were enacting. Naturally they had refused to be part of it, as they were friends with the Bladebreakers. In face the three of them had challenged the Doctor in the hopes of destroying her plan before it could begin. Even with beybladers against one, the Doctor's tag team method using three beyblades at once easily defeated the three of them, not only badly damaging their beyblades but them as well. Weakened by their defeat, they were not prepared for the Doctor to steal the bit-beasts from their beyblades. The stadium in which they had battled ripped their three bit-beasts and sealed them away into a tablet. The Doctor had then given them an ultimatum which was to either commit both themselves and their team to her plan and get their bit-beasts back or to watch their teammates suffer their fate one by one. The three leaders had chosen to protect their followers and to find a way to reclaim their bit-beasts.

"Do you really think that the Bladebreakers will be separated by the grey beyblades?"

"No I don't think so. I think the Doctor won't be prepared for what will happen when the four of them go after her personally," responded Tala with a smile at the thought.

"You're right about that, I hate to admit this but the Bladebreakers will be the only ones able to help us. With Ray and Kai infected and soon Max, the three of them will be able to get close enough to the Doctor and free our bit-beasts."

"She definitely won't be expecting their betrayal especially since the grey beyblades that we used have been modified by Max's mom Judy. From the e-mail she sent me, these beyblades are made up of solidified copies of bit-beasts – she did what she could to nullify them but she only managed to reduce half of their power. She also theorizes that these bit-beasts have something to do with emotions, in which they will amplify and weaken certain emotions so that the five of them will be at odds with one another."

Upon hearing that message, the three of them fell into a stunning silence. They were worried for their friends, each of them had strong ties to the three targets and felt guilt for betraying them but they also had no choice but to do this. The only thing the three could do was to keep their faith that their friends will be able to surpass any obstacles and free their bit-beasts.

**Author's Note: Any comments, reviews, or constructive criticism will be appreciated. **


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